Attention: Looking for the best stories about animals and their welfare

Please send us your best stories from 2020 about animals and their welfare as entries for the Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award. There are separate awards for broadcast and print stories in the National Press Club contest for this award.

This award honors excellence in reporting about animals. Established by the family of journalist and longtime Press Club member Ann Cottrell Free, who wrote extensively about animals and their welfare, this prize recognizes serious work by journalists that informs and educates the public about threats facing animals.

Entries can be a single article or broadcast or a series of up to 5 articles or broadcasts that will be judged as one unit. Submissions that provide evidence of impact or that prompted action will be given particular consideration.

The deadline for entering is April 15, so start preparing those entries.

The prize for the winner in each category is $750. The cost of an entry is free for Press Club members, and $75 for non-members.

The contest also includes categories for consumer news, politics, online journalism, breaking news, photos, coverage of elderly issues, humor writing, the media and other issues. Details of the awards can be found here.

The awards will be presented this summer by the National Press Club.